Piston ring



vJuly 16, 1946.

PI STON RING Filed Jan. 3,' 1944 Aforneql T. E; MGFALL 2,404,140

Patented July 16, 1946 UNITED sTATEs PAT IINTTEv 'Cil-Flog1f;`

r'l'sfToN amd Thurlow'E..McFall, Sparta, Mich. Application January 3, 1944', serialNo. 516,828

l This invention relates'to piston rings usedfin internal combustion engines. It is a primary `object and purposeA of the present inventionrtoprovide a simple, economical,V easily` installed land durable piston ring made entirely-oi steel; preferably, and which is to be used in the oilgrooves of internal combustion engines for scraping excess lubricating oil fromv thewalls of the cylinders and returning itvto'the crankcase of the engine. f f 1 The invention which I have devised for `the ring consists of two parts with' whichgenerally there is associated an `expander spring in service. However the ring. is 'complete' and-.operative with out the expanderv spring ywhich merely provides additional pressure to press the edges of the ring parts Aagainst the 4walls of a. cylinder'for oil scraping, said ring" Without the expander having a `degree of pressure against the cylinder walls which is increasedby the use of .an expander spring. Both `of the parts of- Vthering are readily and easily` made from suitable sheet metaly of which steelis an example, and which preferably will be used. f: An understanding of the invention fmay be had from the following description takenin connection 'with the accompanying drawing,V in

which i: Y f

Fig. 1- is a plan view of one of the ring members used in the piston ring of my invention.V Fig; 2-is a fragmentary plan of a length `of at metallic material fromwhich the lring member shown in Fig. 1 is made; a part of the tongues of said member being shown as formed in blank and others in the completely fabricated state. A Fig. 3 is a fragmentary edge view of the com.- pleted ring member.v I y, y. l, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section-en larged showing the installation of a complete ring in the'oil groove of apiston.- t

Fig. is a view similar` to Fig. 2.1showing a modified form of ring -member, two of` which are used for a complete ring.; f l

.Fig. 6 isa section like Fig.4 illustrating the installationv of a complete ring using the 4ring parts of Fig. 5 inthe oil groove `ofia piston,'and

Fig. 7-is a fragmentary outer` edgevview of the complete ring. f Y i I, t

Like reference charactersrefer to like .parts in the different gures of the drawing. ,4 Y

Thering 'of'.myl invention is designed for use with internal combustion engine pistons I which, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, have an oil groove or grooves 2 for receiving piston rings generally located below other piston ring grooves in the s Claims. (C1. 309-44) pistoninxwhich conventional compression rings of tothe interiorof the pistonfor usuallyiofcast iron are installed. The oil groove .2 hasdrainage openings .3 fromy the bottom therepassage of oil to the engine crankcase. f

The ring construction of two parts has, for

one of its parts,A as in Fig..I 4, a thin SteeLrail- 4 ordinarily `approximately of .025" stoclrwhich has a partingat one side and which when` the `parting is closed takes a substantially circular form to bear at its outer edge against the wall of a cylinder in which it is. installed. Suchring bears with some pressure againstthewall of a V.cylinder-l as a tensionis created in it :whensit is closed at its parting as must be` donel placed within-a cylinder. l

.The othery ring member is made from alength ofv flat metalv which'atg-one side, is continuous fromone end Lto the other, as indicated at 5, while at the 'opposite side edge it is formed to provide a plurality of fspaced apart tongues 6. The tongues 6 are al1 bent upwardly and then Vin a direction parallel to and spaced from the section 5 providing substantially. vertical sections .1 and vterminal section sl lparallelwto, 'the `parti. 4

When installed `within a. ring groove 2 of a piston normally a conventional expander spring Slis placed within l,the grooveVthe ra1,4 is then placed in the groove and the ringl member hav- When it is 30 ,ing-the continuousrail section 5 is located .over

-the rail 4 with the terminalparts 8v of .the'tongues bearing against the upper. side o f saidrail 4. .This `provides p a ring. whichv has the, lower rail 4 andthe upper rail section 5the outeredges of which are. substantiallyflush with. each other. The vertical legs] of the tongues 6 which have ,been bent as described bear at their inner sides against the expanderfspring 9. This ring member preferably atitsvv parting, aslshown in Fig. 1, Ihas two narrower tongues each` approximately onefhalf of the width, of the tongues (i immedi@ i ately atthe ends of the ring, one at each Yside i spacesbetween the parts ,1, and 8 .ofvjadjacent tongues for.l the passage i of Y oily .scraped fromfga cylinder wall Vand. entering between 'rail' Landthe rail section 5. The expander springjnnor- 1 mal. practice vhasgvent passages tliroughit` for the-.Oil to goto `thefbottom `o f .the ring'groove and thence through the passages at 3. Itis o'f VVs member consisting of the rail section 5 and the tongue sections 'l and 8, the invention being the same` if the two parts of the ring as shown in Fig. 4 are reversed in position.

YIn Figs. 5,V 6 and '7, thepiston ring consists of two identical ring'parts each produced in a mannersimilar to the upper rail part of the ring shown in Fig. 4. A length of nat metal has a continuous rail section 50 at one side edge Yfrom which spaced tongues extended from the opposite sidef edge,` differing only froml the construe@ tion shown in Fig. 2 in that the tongues 60 are spaced farther apart than the tongues l.A The width of the spaces between adjacent tongues' Y 60 is greater than the Width of a tongue' El). V

The tongues are bent in a similar manner providingvvertical sections l and horizontal termi nal-portions. Two of such ring members, as shown in Figs. and 7 are placed 1n a rmg groove 2 against the expanderl spring 9, one being in- Y V4 adjacent side of the rail section, said tongues being substantially equally spaced throughoutl their lengths, thefree ends of said tongues being spaced inwardlyV a short distance from the outer edges of said flat rail section. Y

y 3. A piston vring comprising,Y airing member. .of thin flat metal havingA a substantially hori zontal continuous rail section bent into substantially circular form and parted at one side, said parting being adapted tol be 4 substantially closed when the piston ring i's iwitllinf' a'eylinder, said rail section having a plurality of spaced tongues integral with and extending from its. inner edges,

verted in position withA respect'to the other, and

Ywith'rthe parts 10 and 8310i' the return bent'tbngue sloca-ted sidev by side inY relation to each other. The'terminal sections 8l! bear'respectively against the lower side of the upper rail section' 570 and the upper' VsideY of'the lower railv 50J as shown in Fig-. 6. VIn suchV construction the distancabetween the tonguesV 60 being greater than `the 'width of th'e,tong ue space is provided for vthe passage of oil Vcollected Vby the'scraping edges of the rail 1 sections '.ilin vbearing r against the cylinder walls.` -The .piston ring constructions described Y pro-V vide ra composite, Vringf'of Va minimum of parts which are very readily manufactured at lowest vcost both of materialY and labor, and which are and isjto befconsidered cemprehensive` ofi..L all forms Yoi structure coming within'their scope. j,

. he inventions defined in the appendedY claims I claim:

Y g 1. In a, pistonA ring, a ring member Vcompris:- `ing, an.. integral flatA rail section of' thin metal .50

of' a; curved form having a parting at oneside, said rail section'becoming substantially circular at its outer periphery when therpartingisA closed, and a; plurality 'of' spaced tongues extending from the linner edges ofsaid rail section, said tongues rail section for a short distance and thereafter Yben'trtonlie substantially parallel to and spaced fromgsaid- 'rail section',` said tongues beingsubstantiallyv equally spaced throughout their lengthsias specified.

Y 2.111 a piston ring, airing meinberof thin nat metal comprising,v a flat integral rail section oi"A a curved form'having lnormally a 'space or' parting between. its ends, Vsaidfrail sectionwhen the I. parting is substantially closed having an voutert circular; periphery, a plurality of spaced tongues .extendingjfrom the inner -edges of said rail sec.-

Y said tongues being bent'to provide terminal secl-'rl tions substantially parallelY to and spaced from said' rail section, and Va at ring member of thin sheet metal` located against the terminal sections of said tongues in parallelism tothe rail section of vthe i'lrst ring member.

4. VA construction containing the elements in combination defined inY claim V3, said flat ring memberw'having a width equal to the distanceV .fromr the outer -e'dgefofV said rail section to the rear faces offthe vertical sections of'saidftongues.

5'. A' constructionicontaining they elements in combination'deined. inclaim 3,'said flat ring member 'having a widthl equal' to' the distance from the outeredge of'4 said rai1= section to the rear vfaces ofthe 'vertical' sections of said tongues, an expander spring bearing against theY inner Vedge; of saidnflat'railand against the rearsides of the-vertical sections of said tongues, the outer edgesof' said irailand^ of `said rail Vsection being in substantially'vertical alinement. v

` 6. A piston ring comprising an integral'flatrail section 5,a plurality of tongues extending 'from 'the vinner 'edges' thereof and lbent to form subn stantially vertical sections 1 and terminal sec?4 Y tions Si spaced from andparallelingthe rail'sec'- tion 5, and an integral side rail 4 located'against the outer sides of said terminal sections 8.

'YrlfbpistonringY comprising; two identical ring members each of' thin flat metal of substantially circular form and partedatene vside to provide a continuous'side railsection'except at-said parting, tongues equallyvspaced throughout-their flength's'i'ntegralv with and.' extending` from 'the beingV bent substantially at right angles to said inner edges of said side rail sections', said tongues being bent at right angles to their respective rail sections for a short distance and then bent again to provide' terminal sections substantially parallel to andspaced from their respective rail sections,

said Yring members being located one overtheA 'other .with the rail sections thereof bearing against the outer sides of the 'terminal sections Y of the tongues of the opposite rail section, and

with said tongues of one ring member located inthe spaces between the tongues of thevotherV 'ring member. f

8. vA vented oil groove piston ring having two `members each including a' flat side railV portion .ofi substantiallyicircular form parted' at one'side, said rail portions adapted Ato'bear against the Vupper and lower sides ofr'a pistonring vgroove rev spe'ctively', Vand tongues connected integrally with Veachfside rail portion yand extendingffrom the Y inner edgesv thereof bentA to extendiktoward the tienandbent at a short distance from said inner i 'edges/.ofthe rail section to extend yall. in the t same directionv at" right angles to saidrail section forja distance and then return-bent into substantial parallelism with and spaced from the opposite side rail and then bent topass-within saidV opposite side-railand against-which saidop= Vposite side rail bears at its innersida as 'specied i THURLOW -M'CFALL 

